Li Wan PO and Co Ltd : A Hundred Years’ History

The well-known family-owned business, Li Wan Po & Co. Ltd, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Ranked 70th in the Top 100 Companies in Mauritius, the company has announced that a series of promotional activities will be organised until the end of the year. 

One of the most reputed companies in Mauritius, Li Wan Po & Co Ltd was established in 1918 and is celebrating its Centennial Anniversary during the month of September and October. Operating in the FMCG Sector, the family-owned business is the importer and distributor of various brands of fine foods, biscuits and confectionery, wines and spirits, baking ingredients and bakery and cleaning products.

In a press conference on Wednesday, the grandsons and great-granddaughters of the founder Emmanuel Li Wan Po announced a series of activities and on the same occasion talked about the hundred years of history of the company and shared the future projects. 

As the first symbolic initiative of their Centennial Celebration, Philippe Li Wan Po, Chairman of the Board, Henry Li Wan Po, CEO and Denys Li Wan Po, Chief Executive Officer together with the two great-granddaughters Angela Koo, General Manager and Winny Lee, Marketing Executive, proceeded to offer donations totalling one million rupees to 10 NGOs namely Mo'zar Artistic Space, Terre Rouge Welcome Center, Friends in Hope, APEIM, Caritas Mauritius, SOS Children's Villages, Foyer Père Laval, Oasis de Paix, Missionnaries de la Charité and Sui Loong Elders Home.
The CEO of the company, Henry Li Wan Po, explained that giving back to society and helping those in need have always been an important value passed on by their grandfather Emmanuel Li Wan Po. “Our grandfather was an admirable and meticulous person. When he came to Mauritius, he did not know how to speak and write in neither French nor English but he eventually learned both languages. He had strong principles. For him, there was no secret to success in business. It was all about making sacrifices, jobs well done and hard work. It is his mother Mrs Li Ren Xing, who loved giving to others, who influenced Emmanuel and passed on this value to him. However, he was a very discreet and humble person.”

Angela Koo, General Manager of the company, highlighted that the store found at Queen Street, Port Louis, which was the first shop opened by Emmanuel Li Wan Po, is being renovated. “We are remodelling and upgrading our shop and we hope that it will become the place to shop for all Mauritians.

We are also investing heavily to modernise our operations and with our professional and dynamic sales team, we are and will continue to be at the service of clients with the best quality products offered. I wish to thank my great grandfather, my grandfather, my father and my uncles for the solid foundation of the company. Now we, the younger generation, are ready to take up this challenge in the competitive and small island of Mauritius. My team and I keep the values of my great grandfather, which is honesty, hard work and loyalty.”

The General Manager announced that an official gala dinner will be held at Sofitel Hotel on 29th September, with the company's partners, a private family lunch on 7th October where the large Li Wan Po family from Mauritius and abroad will gather together, followed by a trail at Ferney for the company's employees on 20th October.

For its loyal consumers, Winny Lee, Marketing Executive at Li Wan Po & Co Ltd and great granddaughter of Emmauel Li Wan Po, announced that promotional initiatives will take place from late September to early October, in supermarket chains such as Super U, Intermart, Winner's, Dream Price and Way Guild. “Our objective is to thank our loyal customers for their trust in our brands. Goodies will be offered to our customers when purchasing our products and lucky draws will take place in selected outlets. In addition, until the end of the year, products of many brands will be sold at promotional prices.”

Future Projects

Asked about the hundred years of success of the company, Henry Li Wan Po, CEO, stated that it is the family sprit which is at its heart. “My grandfather organised a family reunion each end of year and till now, we continue to follow this tradition. We make it a must to meet with all the family members, even those who are abroad come to the country on the occasion. I trust that it is the unity mindset which has played an important role. Also, previously girls and women were not allowed to handle the business and it was only the boys who had the chance to pursue their education. Today, we have empowered our daughters and granddaughters and they are taking over.” 

Henry Li Wan Po trusts that the company has strongly helped in the economic development of the country. “We have definitely helped, as we provide employment and other types of assistance to reduce unemployment,” he stated. Regarding future projects, he announced that there are several in the pipeline. “Just like my grandfather, we are discreet about our business projects until they are launched. However, what I can say is that we are planning to also go towards manufacturing. We see that we do not have many resources in Mauritius. We have many people having the entrepreneur mindset but they often do not go forward with their projects or do not do it in a professional manner. I trust that the government should appoint a professional body, instead of appointing nominees, to help the SMEs.” 

History of Li Wan Po & Co. Ltd

Emmanuel Li Wan Po arrived in Mauritius at the age of 15 in 1901 with his father, Li Ren Xing, a schoolmaster from Mei Xian Village, Guangzhou Province, China. In 1915, Emmanuel Li Wan Po's father entrusted him with the direction of the business affairs before returning to China. He moved in 1918 to a rented building on Queen Street in Port Louis. In 1931, Raoul, Emmanuel’s eldest son moved to Queen Street where his five children were born, including the current Chairman and CEO. In 1935, Li Ren Xing passed away in China and two years later, Emmanuel’s family, including his mother, left China to come and live in Mauritius. 

Beginning with meagre sales of staple goods, cigarettes and building materials, the shop quickly became popular with people of all ethnic and social backgrounds, so much so that Emmanuel Li Wan Po was appointed president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in 1940. Before his death in 1972, he bequeathed the company to the eldest of his 16 children, Raoul, with a legacy of hard work, ethics, discipline, honesty, respect and humility. Today, Li Wan Po & Co Ltd is managed by Philippe Li Wan (Chairman of the Board), the eldest son of Raoul and first grandson of Emmanuel and Henry Li Wan Po (CEO), the youngest of Raoul and youngest grandson of Emmanuel. 

Currently, Li Wan Po & Co. Ltd has an annual turnover of Rs1,3 billion and employs 121 people. It has one shop and four warehouses in the country. In 2018, the company is ranked 70th in the Top 100 Companies of Mauritius.